Department for Transport

Ports: Road Traffic Control

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have (1) considered, and (2) taken, at Dover, and other ports or terminals, to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the event of the UK leaving the EU on 31 October.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government has worked closely with the Kent Resilience Forum to ensure that traffic can continue to flow for the cross-channel ports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the 31st October. A new plan, Operating BROCK, has been developed to keep the M20 open if there are any delays resulting from disruption at the border. There are also extensive plans to ensure that traders and hauliers are border ready which should mitigate and minimise disruption at all ports.

Great Western Railway: Trains

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the contracted level of reliability in regard to failures in the service specified in the contract between the Department for Transport and Hitachi for provision of CL800 Inter City Express trains for the Great Western Railway.

baroness vere of norbiton: The contract for the provision of Class 800 Inter-City Express trains for the Great Western Railway between the Secretary of State for Transport and Agility Trains West includes an availability-based performance regime where deductions from payments are made if trains are not made available for passenger service. As such, while the agreement between the Secretary of State and Agility Trains West does not include a contracted level of reliability it states a number of circumstances, including failures of trains in service, where payment deductions apply.

East Midlands Rail Franchise: Trains

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specification of reliability in terms of failures in service has been sought from Hitachi in the delivery of trains ordered for the East Midlands Trains franchise.

baroness vere of norbiton: This is a commercial matter between Abellio East Midlands Railway and Hitachi. East Midlands Railway has separate contractual requirements for its overall operational performance with the Department.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for any reduction in the number and frequency of rural bus services since 2015.

baroness vere of norbiton: Bus passenger journeys declined in rural areas in England by 9.3% from 286 million journeys in 2014/15 to 259 million journeys in 2017/18. The Government recognises the importance of public transport on the sustainability and independence of rural communities, and provides £43 million of the Bus Service Operators Grant each year directly to local authorities so that they can subsidise bus services. In addition, as part of the 2018-19 local government finance settlement, the Government increased the Rural Services Delivery Grant to £81 million. The 2019-20 settlement increased the Grant to the same level.

Ports: Railways

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to connect all UK ports dealing with shipping containers to the railway network.

baroness vere of norbiton: Rail freight and ports are intrinsically linked, with most of the UK’s major ports using rail for onwards distribution. Rail moves 1 in 4 of all intermodal shipping containers which are imported or exported and 18 ports in England have a direct and active rail connection to the national network, with a further 6 ports having operational rail connections (but no current timetabled freight trains). Intermodal freight is now the biggest rail freight sector and the Department and Network Rail welcome discussions with port operators that wish to enhance their rail freight provision, particularly for container traffic. The Department has recently announced a £30M fund for port infrastructure connectivity in England – this includes potential funding for development of rail connectivity (specific schemes yet to be determined).

A34: M40

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many accidents including death or serious injury have occurred in each of the last five years for which figures are available on the A34 section of the junction with the M40; and in how many such accidents Heavy Goods Vehicles were involved.

baroness vere of norbiton: The number of fatal and serious accidents occurring on the A34 section of the junction with the M40 for the last five years for which figures are available is given in the table below: Number of fatal or serious reported road accidents on the A34 section of the junction with the M401, 2013 to 2017YearNumber of accidents2013020141201502016020170Source: DfT Stats191. Includes the 100m section of the A34 leading to the junction. The serious accident which occurred at this junction in 2014 involved a car and a goods vehicle of unknown weight.

Railways: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what year they expect the new high speed railway line between Leeds and Manchester to open; what they expect the total cost of that line to be; and what the maximum speed of services operating on that line will be.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Leeds-Manchester line is being developed as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Transport for the North has developed and submitted a business case for NPR to the Government. As announced by the Prime Minister, we are accelerating work with Transport for the North to reach a deal in the Autumn, which will, amongst other things, consider potential specification of the route, timescales for delivery, and costs.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in obtaining a financial contribution from Greybull Capital towards the cost of the return to the UK of passengers on Monarch Airlines consequent on the withdrawal of financial support by Greybull Capital; what is their assessment of whether Greybull Capital and associates are likely to make a profit on their investment in GreybullCapital; whether any such profit will be assessable to UK tax; and when Ministers last had contact with Greybull Capital.

baroness vere of norbiton: Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers. However, Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers. The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. Profits made by corporations are subject to the tax laws relevant to their jurisdiction. Petrol Jersey Limited is a company which is incorporated in Jersey. It would be for HM Revenue and Customs to confirm whether any such profit would be assessable to tax in the UK. Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.

M62: M606

baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with plans for a proposed new link road to connect the M62 westbound to the M606; whether capital funding has been allocated for that link road; and whether a timetable for construction has been determined.

baroness vere of norbiton: The M62/M606 Chain Bar scheme was included in the first Road Investment Strategy (2015-2020). Subsequently, work on the scheme was paused in October 2017 because it demonstrated low value for money, and therefore no capital funding has been allocated for the remainder of the first Roads Investment Strategy. The Department is currently making decisions on the content of the second Road Investment Strategy which will include an affordable, deliverable investment plan for 2020 to 2025. We expect to announce final decisions on this strategy in the coming months, on which schemes will be included and their delivery timetables.

Road Works: Utilities

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the authority that public utility companies have to obstruct the highway to carry out repairs and installations.

baroness vere of norbiton: A range of legislation, statutory and other guidance applies to utility companies who carry out street works on the local road network to install, maintain and repair the infrastructure on which we all rely. These works are vital but that does not mean they should take longer than they should. My department constantly reviews the legal framework to reduce the impact works have on congestion and is taking forward a number of projects to modernise the regime.

Railway Signals

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to encourage Network Rail to generate the electricity it consumes from standby electricity generators for its signalling instalments from renewable energy sources.

baroness vere of norbiton: Network Rail is conducting a study to assess the potential for large scale renewable energy generation across its estate. The long-term aim of the project is to see Network Rail generating renewable electricity for both train traction and other uses. The Department for Transport recently funded a demonstrator project that has connected 100 solar panels to the Wessex route’s traction system, with energy from the panels set to power signalling and lights.

Large Goods Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many spot checks were made by the enforcement agencies on large goods vehicle and heavy goods vehicle emissions in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not conduct roadside spot checks on lorries, solely for emissions. The DVSA does conduct roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries, which include a check for emissions control equipment (cheat devices). Over the last three years the DVSA has carried out the following roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries:2016/2017 – 110,5702017/2018 – 108,0502018/2019 – 95,280 The number of checks has reduced year-on-year because the DVSA now carries out targeted enforcement of seriously and serially non-compliant vehicles. Targeted enforcement allows compliant operators to conduct their business without expecting their vehicles to be subject to random checks.

Roads: Noise

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research by vehicle manufacturers on road building or re-surfacing contractors to reduce the noise from vehicles passing along main roads.

baroness vere of norbiton: We are not aware of any such research that has been carried out by vehicle manufacturers and as such have undertaken no assessment.

Motorways

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of smart motorways.

baroness vere of norbiton: The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1) published in 2014 set out plans to deliver smart motorways during road period 1 (2015-2020). The second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) will set out plans for our motorways and main ‘A’ roads in the second road period (2020-2025). Government will announce RIS2 shortly.

Safety Belts

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they provide on the dangers of wearing a seatbelt incorrectly.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on advertising the dangers of wearing a seat belt incorrectly in each of the last two years for which information is available.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether wearing a seat belt incorrectly is as dangerous as not wearing a seat belt at all; and if so, whether they will include this information in future advertising on the wearing of seat belts.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government recognises the importance of seat belts in promoting road safety; quite simply they save lives. That is why the law requires vehicle occupants, with very few exceptions, to wear them. Advice on www.gov.uk and in The Highway Code in respect of seat belts focusses on the importance of wearing a seat belt.

Road Traffic Offences: Safety Belts

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) males, and (2) females, aged (a) 16–23, (b) 24–29, (c) 30–34, and (d) 34 and over, were (i) prosecuted for, and (ii) convicted of, wearing a seat belt incorrectly in each of the last two years for which information is available.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of males and females prosecuted and convicted for broader ‘seat belt offences’ by age group: Prosecutions and Convictions for seat belt offences, by sex (where sex was known) and age group, England and Wales, year ending December 2014 to year ending December 2018 Prosecutions 20142015201620172018Males7,1586,8846,6055,2885,639Juveniles30201087Young adults290248230174185Adults6,8386,6166,3655,1065,447Females944869722546652Juveniles81322Young adults5229312023Adults884839688524627Total8,1027,7537,3275,8346,291Convictions 20142015201620172018Males6,5546,3516,2055,0185,299Juveniles2212655Young adults270228219165177Adults6,2626,1115,9804,8485,117Females865791664507594Juveniles51120Young adults4825301919Adults812765633486575Total7,4197,1426,8695,5255,893 Adults are those offenders aged 21 and over, whilst juveniles are aged under 18 and young adults are aged 18-20. ‘Seat belt offences’ cover a range of different offences, but a large proportion would be for not wearing a seat belt. The Ministry of Justice does not have a classification for specific offences involving ‘wearing a seatbelt incorrectly‘; this may fall under the broader offence of seat belt offences, but to identify these specific offences would require a manual search of court records, which would be of disproportionate cost.

Safety Belts

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) males, and (2) females, aged (a) 16–23, (b) 24–29, (c) 30–34, and (d) 34 and over, were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured, and (iii) received minor injuries, as a result of wearing a seat belt incorrectly in each of the last two years for which information is available.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the types of injuries associated with wearing a seat belt incorrectly.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Department does not hold information on whether casualties in reported road accidents were wearing a seat belt incorrectly.

Driving under Influence

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce deaths and injuries (1) caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, and (2) where driving under the influence of alcohol was a contributing factor.

baroness vere of norbiton: In 2017, an estimated 250 people were killed in accidents where at least one driver or rider was above the drink-drive limit. Drink driving is involved in around 5% of reported road casualties and 14% of fatalities. The Government is committed to tackling drivers under the influence of alcohol and all dangerous drivers and is determined that all such drivers are caught and punished. We employ a combined approach of tough penalties and rigorous enforcement along with our highly respected and effective THINK! campaigns to reinforce the social unacceptability of drink driving, and to remind people of the serious ramifications that drinking and driving can have on themselves and others. The Department has also taken some important steps to tighten drink driving legislation. We have made it a requirement for high risk offenders to undertake medical tests before they are allowed to drive again, and we have also made sure that drivers over the breath limit cannot escape a conviction by demanding a further blood or urine test.

Parking Offences

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 6 August (HL17450), what sanctions against vehicle owners are available to the authorities when such owners persistently ignore penalty notices, but do not cause an obstruction which merits the vehicle being towed away.

baroness vere of norbiton: If the vehicle owner ignores their penalty notices there is a process of escalation in place that results in increased charges. Initially this can be registered as a County Court debt. Further failure to pay the charge can lead to the County Court issuing a warrant to Civil Enforcement Agents (bailiffs). This will mean added charges and Civil Enforcement Agents (bailiffs) taking goods from the vehicle owners home to settle the debt.

Airports: Air Pollution

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the trend has been in the amount of air pollution surrounding major airports over the last three years for which figures are available; and what progress they have made in securing a reduction of harmful air pollutants in those areas.

baroness vere of norbiton: There is a long-term downward trend in the concentration of most pollutants surrounding major airports. Air pollution is the top environmental risk to health in the UK and the government remains determined to improve air quality. Our recent consultation on a new aviation strategy included proposed measures to ensure that aviation’s contribution to local air quality issues is properly understood and addressed.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Products: Certification

lord cope of berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, UK approved bodies will only be able to provide third party conformity assessment, where required, for products placed on the UK market;and whether equivalent EU notified bodies will be able to provide such assessment for products placed on both the UK and EU markets via CE marking.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

Certification Quality Marks

lord cope of berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, will be the duration of the time-limited arrangement for the acceptance in the UK of CE marking and hence third party EU notified body conformity assessment.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

Products: Certification

lord cope of berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) in the event of a no-deal Brexit, manufacturers, authorised representatives and importers based in the UKwill be responsible for the conformity to standards of products placed on the UK market where required, and (2) authorised representatives and importers based in an European Economic Area state will be responsible for the conformity to standards of products placed on the EU or UK markets.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

Products: Certification

lord cope of berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when, and where, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, public access to the list of UK approved bodies for conformity assessment, and particulars of standards harmonised to EU directives, will be made available.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

Manufacturing Industries

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index falling to a 7-year low of 47.4; and what assessment they have made of the statement by Capital Economics that the sector is “on track for recession”.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Retail Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase footfall in high street stores.

lord duncan of springbank: As referred to in the answer to the recent similar question (HL16284), the Retail Sector is changing, we are committed to helping communities adapt and support the retail sector during this change. The Government and the retail sector recognise that action is needed to ensure the sector thrives. The creation of the Retail Sector Council demonstrates this commitment to the sector’s continued success. My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister recently announced an additional 50 towns will benefit from the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, taking the total to over 100. The extension to the shortlist comes on the back of the £3.6 billion Towns Fund announced last month, which included an additional £325 million for the Future High Streets Fund, taking the overall Fund to £1 billion as the Government looks to drive forward local growth. A number of other measures have already been taken to support our high streets, including the creation of the High Streets Task Force to support local leaders in delivering ambitious plans. Through the planning system we are helping to support changes to high streets, making it easier for them to adapt, with a wider range of retail, residential and other uses. The Open Doors pilot in five town centres is bringing empty shops back into use, by opening these to community groups who are offering services to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Carbon Emissions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce further incentives for carbon-neutral lifestyles.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of EU businesses that divert supply chains away from the UK.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Energy: Meters

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards the roll-out of smart meters.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

Energy: Imports

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s current dependency on energy supplied by interconnectors.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with my noble Friend.

North Sea: Oil Rigs

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of leaving de-commissioned oil rigs in the North Sea.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

*No heading*

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report by the World Future Council Unlocking the Trillions to Finance the 1.5°c Limit, published on 7 November 2017, concerning the role of central banks buying fossil fuel stranded assets on the condition that the money is invested in the renewable energy sector.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Eritrea: Politics and Government

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Eritrea about (1) ending indefinite conscription, and (2) parliamentarians who have been detained since 2001; and what additional aid, if any, was allocated to Eritrea as a result of international sanctions being lifted.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure the support of Commonwealth countries to provide Hong Kong citizens with a second citizenship and potential place of abode should China resile on its commitment to one country, two systems.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to (1) raising concerns about the erosion of democracy and human rights, and (2) encouraging Commonwealth countries to provide Hong Kong citizens with a second citizenship and potential place of abode should China resile on its commitment to one country,two systems, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Iraq: Yazidis

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received the information sent to them by Lord Alton of Liverpool concerning allegations made by the Clarion Project, that young Yazidi girls kidnapped and enslaved by ISIS in Iraq, and now held in Iran, have been put up for sale; and what action they are taking to (1) highlight that issue, and (2)seek the rescue of these girls.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

China: USA

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representationsthey have made to the governments of the United States and China about the impact on the world economy of their current trade dispute.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representationsthey havemade to the government of India about the Presidential Order on 5 August which made Article 370 of the Constitution of India inoperative.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Russia: G7

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the possible readmission of Russia to the G7.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 10 July (HL16789),whether any British Armed Forces personnel participated in the chain of command involved in authorising and executing the reported attacks by theUnited States Coalition and their allies on unarmed Syrian oil transport boats on 31 May.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Geneva Conventions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how violations of the Geneva Convention should be addressed; and whether any such assessment includes provision for the handling of erring Parties.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sudan: Food Supply

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Transitional Military Council, or relevant governing body, in Sudan about food insecurity in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sudan: Drugs

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Transitional Military Council, or relevant governing body, in Sudan about the availability of basic drug supplies in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Transitional Military Council, or relevant governing body, in Sudan about permitting access by humanitarian aid organisations to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Gaza: Weedkillers

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about drift from herbicide sprays, aimed at the buffer zone, but affecting crops and population inside the Gaza Strip.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Turkey: Kurds

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of Turkey about the dismissal of elected mayors and other officials in Kurdish majority areas of Turkey and the accusations of malpractice by their replacements.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Bangladesh about the future of the Rohingya refugees, further to Foreign Minister Abdul Momen’s remarks last month that Bangladesh cannot continue to bear the economic burden of the refugees.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take as a result of the report of the UN Group of Independent Eminent International and Regional ExpertsYemen: Collective Failure, Collective Responsibilitypublished on 3 September, which details multiple violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen, and concludes that many of those "may result in individuals being held responsible for war crimes" and calls on the international community to "stop turning a blind eye to these violations and the intolerable humanitarian situation" and to refrain from providing arms that could be used in the conflict.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Israeli Settlements

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign Secretary raised concerns over settlement building with Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz during their meeting in London on 28 August, further to the government of Israel'sapproval of more than 2,000 settlements in the Occupied West Bank last month.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Iran: Nuclear Power

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the Foreign Secretary made during his discussions with European partners in Helsinki at the informal meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) on 29to 30 August on how to preserve the Iran nuclear deal and to protect international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

EU Action

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 August (HL17479), what information on (1) how many times the UK has voted against legislation in the Council of Ministers since 2001, and (2) how many of those occasions that legislation subsequently passed, is available; and if so, where it is to be found.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

EU Action

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 August (HL17479), whether the UK has successfully blocked any proposed EU legislation in the Council of Ministers since 2009; and if so, what were those measures.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

EU Law

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 August (HL17479), how many EU laws have been approved by the Council of Ministers since 2009.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's mandate is aligned with their commitment to a two-state solution for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and what steps they will take to ensure that alignment if necessary.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Israeli authorities are using the approval of new settlement housing units in the West Bank as collective punishment for Palestinian acts of violence.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Jerusalem: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofreports that Israeli authorities intend to extend the closure of Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem and prohibit any cultural or political activities by Palestinian organisations held there.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Iran: Nuclear Power

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sudan and Syria: Politics and Government

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 July (HL17137), what considerations led them to adopt the positions that “the Assad regime has lost all legitimacy” and that they “have no intention of encouraging the Global Coalition to cooperate with its security forces”; whether they have applied similar considerations in developing their position on Sudan; and, if so, how those considerations were applied to their decision to engage in strategic dialogue with the regime there.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Syria: Sanctions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) impact of the EU's sanctions on Syria since their imposition in 2012 on (a) the behaviour of the government of Syria, and (b) the economic wellbeing of the population of Syria, (2) the likely impact of those sanctions in the near future, and (3) the effectiveness of measures seeking to deprive Syria of access to oil.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sudan and Syria: Politics and Government

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 July (HL17137), what was the basis for reaching their conclusions that(1) the Assad regime has lost all legitimacy, and (2) they will not encourage the Global Coalition to cooperate with the Assad regime's security forces; whether they have applied similar considerations in developing their position on Sudan; and if so, how those considerations were applied in their decision to engage in strategic dialogue with the regime in Sudan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Zimbabwe: Pensions

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Zimbabwe about pension arrears owed to former Crown servants; and what was the outcome of those discussions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Nassim Abu Roumi

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofreports that Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has decided to withhold the body of Nassim Abu Roumi fromEast Jerusalem to exchange it for the body of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza; and whether they intend to take any action in response to those reports.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Jerusalem: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Israel regarding the breaking up of a Palestinian soccer team in East Jerusalem on the grounds that the location is under Israeli sovereignty.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Jerusalem: Demolition

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Israel regarding the recent break up by Israeli forces of a Palestinian Bar Association conference on Israel's home demolition policy in East Jerusalem.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Israel regarding the taking over by Israeli settlers of dozens of Palestinian-owned springs in the West Bank, preventing their owners from using them.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

China: Prisoners

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe remarks by the Minister for Asia and the Pacific on 26 March (HC Deb, col 61WH) on forced live organ extraction that they"need to properly and fully investigate such reports and allegations, and establish the facts”, whatsteps they have taken to investigate forced live organ extraction in China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

China: Prisoners

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister for Asia and the Pacific on 26 March (HC Deb, col 61WH) on forced live organ extraction, what conclusions they drew from the report bythe Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in ChinaFinal Judgement and Summary Report, published on 17 June; and what steps they intend to take in response.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

China: Prisoners

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make, if any, to the government of China about reports of forced organ extraction in that country; and what work is being undertaken, or is proposed, at the UN Human Rights Council on that issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

China: Prisoners

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 July (HL Deb, col 816), whether the Minister has met Sir Geoffrey Nice, Chair of theIndependent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China; if not, why not; and if so, what (1) progress has been made, and (2) steps they intend to take.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the inquiry into the leaking of confidential messages from Sir Kim Darroch will conclude.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Northern Ireland Office

Offences against Children: Northern Ireland

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take in relation to the institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and what plans they have, if any, to ensure survivors receive compensation.

lord duncan of springbank: The UK Government has committed to introducing legislation at Westminster by the end of the year, should a restored NI Executive not be in place. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has committed to finding a slot for this Bill.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Directors

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a "turnaround director" for NHS England and NHS Improvement; and to whom such a director would be accountable.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement are not in the process of recruiting a turnaround director for the organisation.

NHS: Directors

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether regional directors of NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for tackling bullying in their regions; and whether regional directors are responsible for the conduct of any "turnaround directors" appointed in their regions.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Individual National Health Service organisations are primarily responsible for addressing and preventing bullying in the workforce and for the conduct of all their employees including temporary staff or specialist contractors.To ensure consistency the performance management of NHS organisations is underpinned by a single oversight framework, which is overseen by Regional Directors.The NHS Constitution also sets out the rights and responsibilities of all NHS staff to be free from harassment, bullying or violence.

NHS: Standards

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of the Turnaround Programme in each of the last three years.

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average daily rate earned by "turnaround directors" in the NHS.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fit and Proper Persons Requirement Review

lord blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Interim NHS People Plan, published on 3 June, what steps they are taking to implement the recommendations of the Kark review of the fit and proper persons test, published on 6 February; and when they expect to complete their response to that review.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has accepted in principle recommendations 1 and 2 of the Review by Tom Kark QC into the Fit and Proper Persons test, namely: - to develop competency standards for all NHS directors; and- to create a central database of NHS director employment and training data.The Government has asked Baroness Harding of Winscombe, to take forward implementation of the two accepted recommendations and to engage on the remaining recommendations alongside work to develop the NHS People Plan.A response is expected later this year.

Dementia

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve dementia care research and support for carers of people with dementia across the UK.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Hospitals: Statistics

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) charities, (2) public bodies, (3) commercial companies, and (4) others, receivedHospital Episode Statistics data from NHS Digital in August; and what percentage of each had (a) informed consent, (b) opt outs applied, and(c) neither.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS Digital has advised that the numbers of organisations that have received Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data and the percentage of each that had informed consent, opt outs applied and neither within the month of August is shown in the following table. Organisations receiving HES data in August 2019, by Organisation TypeOrganisation TypeInformed ConsentOpt outs appliedNeitherTotalCharities----Public Body1 (1%)5 (4%)117 (95%)123 (100%)Commercial0 (0%)0 (0%)7 (100%)7 (100%)Other0 (0%)0 (0%)2 (100%)2 (100%)Total132 The HES data against the organisation type “charities” has not been released within August.

Palliative Care: Finance

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the additional £25million announcedfor hospice and palliative services by the Prime Minister on 20 August will be (1) an annually recurring figure, and(2) in addition to current grants from, and contracts with, the NHS.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Palliative Care: Finance

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with NHS England to ensure that any contracts between the NHS and the providers of hospice and palliative care services will be for a minimum three year period to provide certainty of funding.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have todirect the Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East London to withdraw their prohibition on single women receiving fertility treatment on the NHS as laid out in the South East London Treatment Access Policy Document 2019/20.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement contained in page 34 of the South East London Treatment Access Policy Document 2019/20 that "because of the known disadvantage that providing assisted conception to a single woman would cause both the child and the mother, funding of assisted conception for single women is not available".

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to instruct the Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East London to publish the evidence it relied onin developing its policy of not providing fertility treatment to single women.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Greater London

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the board members of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East London.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK citizens will continue to benefit from the European Health Insurance Card in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October; if so, by what mechanism; and if not, what alternative provision, if any, they intend to make.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has proposed to all European Union Member States that when we leave, we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements including the European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) Scheme until 31 December 2020, with the aim of minimising disruption to healthcare provision for United Kingdom nationals and EU citizens. This is subject to agreement by individual EU Member States.In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the continuation of the EHIC scheme will be dependent on the UK agreeing its continuation with individual Member States through bilateral reciprocal healthcare agreements. It is not possible for the UK Government to guarantee access unilaterally to healthcare abroad, as this depends on decisions by Member States.The UK Government has already committed to fund healthcare for UK-insured people who have applied for, or are undergoing, treatments in the EU prior to and on exit day, for up to one year, to protect the most vulnerable.The Government always advises UK nationals to take out comprehensive travel insurance when going overseas, both to EU and non-EU destinations. The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and we have always advised that individuals should have both when travelling abroad.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater Manchester

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 7 August (HL17449), in what format the data are available for average annual waiting times for each accident and emergency department in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Department of Health and Social Care: Databases

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many reports have been commissioned in the last three years on the value or curation of data controlled or generated by (1) the National Health Service, (2) the Department of Health and Social Care, and (3) arms-length bodies of that department; which departments commissioned those reports; when those reports were completed or are due to be completed; which organisations produced those reports; what was the cost of each of those reports; what are the titles of those reports; and whether those reports are in the public domain.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Medical Treatments: Greater London

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took to ensure that board members of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East London read the South East London Treatment Access Policy Document 2019/20 in full before agreeing to it.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Antimicrobials: Research

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to start the pilot scheme to test a subscription model to fund the development of new antimicrobials, announced on 9 July.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The United Kingdom national action plan for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), published on 24 January, includes the commitment to lead the way in testing innovative models that pay companies for antibiotics based primarily on a health technology assessment of their value to the National Health Service, as opposed to the volumes used.This project was formally launched by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England and NHS Improvement on 9 July.A period of targeted engagement to secure stakeholder input into the development of key areas of the project, including the proposed approach for topic selection, the approach to evaluation, and the outline commercial model was launched on 9 July and concluded on 6 September 2019.The next stages will involve the development of an evaluation framework and commercial model, selection of products to be included in the test and undertaking a value assessment for the selected products.It is anticipated that payments will be implemented to companies from spring 2021 following commercial negotiation with companies.

Food: Taxation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a snack tax to help reduce obesity.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Junior Doctors: Recruitment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the NHS is taking to increase the number of trainee doctors recruited each year.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has committed to an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places - a 25% increase taking the total number of medical school training places in England to 7,500. The first 630 places were taken up in September 2018 with a further 690 places available in September 2019. The remaining additional 180 places will have been made available by universities by 2020/21. By 2020, five new medical schools will have opened in England to help deliver the expansion.Following graduation from medical school, eligible applicants are allocated a place on the United Kingdom Foundation Programme.The number of medical specialty training places that are available each year is set by Health Education England and based on their assessment of service gaps and predicted workforce needs.The NHS Long Term Plan set out the need to ensure a sustainable overall balance between supply and demand across all staff groups. For doctors, it also focussed on reducing geographical and specialty imbalances. Subsequently, the interim NHS People Plan set out the action we will take now and over the long term to meet the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership, and changes in demand for health care. Actions include reviewing what further expansion in undergraduate medical places will be needed, in light of future plans made locally by sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems; and the establishment of a national programme board to address geographic and specialty shortages in doctors.

Department for International Development

UNRWA

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 commitment to build inclusive, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is aligned with their Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, published in March 2018; and whether it is working for the empowerment and equality of women and girls.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Palestinians: Solar Power

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential for developing solar energy in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the benefit of the indigenous population.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Middle East: Overseas Aid

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to take account of the report by the London School of Economics and Political Science Middle East Centre Women, Peace and Security and Displacement in the Middle East, published inJuly, when planning future aid and development programmes.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's mandate; and whether that mandate complies with the Department for International Development's anti-corruption strategies.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is rated by the Publish What You FindAID transparency index.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

International Conference on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Ministers and officials will attend the 2019 Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development 25 as delegates.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

International Conference on Population and Development

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the 2019 Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development 25.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

World Health Organisation: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution the Department for International Development made to (1) core, and (2) non-core, funding of the World Health Organization in (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Overseas Aid

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of UK Overseas Development Assistance was spent by the Department for International Development in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, and(4) 2018–19.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Pakistan: Schools

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that school buildings in Pakistan funded by the Department for International Development (DfID) are not fit for purpose, leaving 115,000 children learning in makeshift classrooms; and that 1,277 of the 1,389 schools covered by this DfID programme are potentially at risk from structural design flaws which put them at risk of collapse during earthquakes.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Pakistan: Education

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they took in response to reports in 2016 which highlighted concerns about the Department for International Development's Pakistan educational development programmes.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Pakistan: Education

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they paid to (1) the Department for International Development's Special Representative on Education in Pakistan, and (2) other education and management consultancies dealing with education projects in Pakistan, between 2011 and 2015.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans the Department for International Development has to (1) put greater emphasis on problems identified during the annual reporting process, (2) ensure that greater scrutiny is given to the work of consultancy companies and local contractors, (3) give greater priority to monitoring local progress and quality delivery on the ground, and (4) give greater weight to concerns expressed by Pakistanis working on the ground in rural areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in future programmes.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Syria: Internally Displaced People

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult Human Rights Watch, the Forum for Regional Thinking and the local authorities in North-East Syria on how to reduce the number of refugees and internally displaced persons in al-Hol and other nearby camps, and to improve internal security and living conditions.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

lord palmer of childs hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East facilities and institutions are not being used by terrorist groups for combat purposes.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

UNRWA

lord palmer of childs hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to encourage United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East officials, especially those in Lebanon and Syria, to support Palestinian refugees to receive (1) citizenship, and (2) fair treatment from host governments.

baroness sugg: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Taxation

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on new starters.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that employers use at least half of their apprenticeship levy spend on apprentices who are under 30 years of age.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Children in Care: EU Nationals

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many looked-after children are non-UK EU nationals.

baroness armstrong of hill top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support local authorities give to looked-after children who are non-UK EU nationals to apply for (1) residency, (2) citizenship, and (3) settled status.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any estimated overspend of council funding special needs education; and what steps they are taking to provide financial support to protect the service.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Higher Education: Registration

lord beith: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the registration process administered by the Office for Students following the denial of registration to Spurgeon's College in respect of financial sustainability; and what plans they have, if any, to review that process.

baroness berridge: The department is unable to comment on individual cases related to the Office for Students (OfS) registration. The department supports the OfS as an effective independent regulator in its aim of safeguarding a fair market for students of all backgrounds to undertake higher education. Neither the department nor our ministers can intervene in judicial reviews of the decisions of the OfS.

School Libraries

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the call by the Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, for there to be a statutory requirement for each school to provide a library.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Children: Reading

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so how, they intend to adopt any of the children’s reading rights recommendations by the Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, as part of their policy on developing literacy among schoolchildren.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Schools

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the risksfor schools of a no-deal Brexit.

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what preparations they have made to ensure that schools are not adversely affected by a no-deal Brexit.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Higher Education: Registration

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what access a college which hasbeen refused registration by the Office for Studentshas to an independent appeals process.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatinformation they have received about the reasons for the Office for Students refusing registration ofinstitutions that have been operating successfully under the previous Higher Education Funding Council for England regulatory framework, including its financial sustainability test, such as Spurgeon’s College, despite the circumstances of an institution remaining unchanged.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provisions and alternative finance arrangements are being put in place to support students who have been affected by the Office for Student's decision to refuse registration of their educational institutions; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such refusals on student mental health.

baroness berridge: The Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) sets out the procedure under which the Office for Students (OfS) refuses registration applications should a higher education provider not meet one or more of the OfS initial conditions of registration. The OfS will inform a provider to tell it they are minded to refuse its application. The provider then has an opportunity to make representations to the OfS, and it is only after considering these representations that the OfS takes a final decision. A provider may subsequently seek to challenge the decision through judicial review. While the OfS took on some of the responsibilities of the Higher Education Funding Council for England following its closure, the OfS was set up as a new organisation with a new remit and responsibilities. The OfS regulatory framework and its guidance to providers sets out how applications for registration are assessed. The department is unable to comment on individual cases related to the OfS registration process. Neither the department nor our ministers can intervene in judicial reviews of the decisions of the OfS. The OfS considers the impact on both current and prospective students before taking registration decisions. A decision to refuse is not taken lightly, but HERA is clear that a provider which does not meet the OfS initial conditions of registration must be refused. Circumstances for current students will vary at different providers. However, the OfS will always seek to work with the provider to ensure that students are supported to complete their studies – either at their current provider where existing students can continue to access student support for the purposes of teach out, or at a new provider. Higher education providers should have systems and policies in place to offer appropriate mental health support and signposting to specialist help where necessary.

Children in Care

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they continue to use their "good parent" policy in relation to children in state care.

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether any children in public care are being treated as a financial asset.

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of children in care being placed outside their local authority area.

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of times children in public care change schools.

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local authorities carry out their duties as set out in the Children Act 1989.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Schools: Uniforms

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for implementing the commitment in their 2015 reportA better deal: boosting competition to bring down bills for families and firms to put best practice guidance for school uniform supply inEnglandon a statutory footing.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Students: Loans

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to refund the £28.5 million of student loan overpayments made since 2009–10; andif so, when.

baroness berridge: The government has introduced a system that allows weekly sharing of data between HM Revenue & Customs and the Student Loans Company (SLC) so that loan repayments and the clearing of balances can be updated more accurately. In the past, such data sharing has been on an annual basis, which could mean a delay before the repayment system recognised the loan had been paid in full.The SLC allows customers who are within 23 months of repaying their student loan to repay it through direct debit. A letter confirming this is issued to eligible customers, along with their annual statement. Customers who sign up to the scheme then repay the set amount over the agreed time, at the end of which the balance will be cleared and any over-repayment avoided.The SLC contacts all customers who, nonetheless, over repay on their student loan debt, to invite them to apply for a refund. This can prove difficult if the borrower has failed to keep their contact details up to date. Once the relevant details have been confirmed, the SLC will issue refunds.

Students: Loans

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students who have overpaid their student loans since 2009–10 have yet to be refunded.

baroness berridge: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Schools: Asbestos

lord wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers they have to make it mandatory for schools to respond to surveys regarding the presence and management of asbestos on their premises; and what plans they have to exercise those powers.

lord agnew of oulton: The responsibility for managing asbestos in a building rests with the ‘dutyholder’ and there may be multiple dutyholders. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, a dutyholder includes persons that have maintenance and repair obligations in respect of non-domestic premises, control of any part of the premises, or means of access or egress.Education legislation does not contain any express powers to make it mandatory for schools in England to respond to data collection surveys regarding the presence and management of asbestos on their premises. However, all state-funded schools and academies in England, and their respective responsible bodies, were expected to complete the Asbestos Management Assurance Process (AMAP) survey.Although the AMAP is a voluntary survey, over 88% of schools have responded. The department is continuing to work with schools that have not yet responded, to encourage them to do so.

GCSE: Hearing Impairment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet the National Deaf Children’s Society to discuss its reportDeaf children across England fall an entire grade behind at GCSE, published on 20 August.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Students: Rents

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rents levied by developers of student accommodation.

baroness berridge: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Ministry of Justice

Summary Offences

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of defendants sent summary offence notices under the single justice procedure fail to enter a plea; what is their assessment of the reasons for the level of such failures; and what steps they are taking to address that issue.

lord keen of elie: Current response rates vary dependant on the individual prosecutors, with an average of 72% of defendants failing to enter a plea. Whilst an individual is at liberty to not enter a plea without reason, Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service is actively working with prosecution authorities and our partners in the Criminal Justice System to understand the reasons why defendents do not respond and to improve engagement rates.

Eastwood Park Prison

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take following the report of the Chief Inspector of PrisonReport on an unannounced inspection of HMP Eastwood Park; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for the failure to prevent the conditions disclosed in the report arising.

lord keen of elie: HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ recent report on HMP/YOI Eastwood Park was published on 28th August 2019. HMPPS take all recommendations made by the HM Chief Inspector seriously. Adetailed action plan has been produced to address the recommendations in the report. The action plan has been published on the prison finder website and has been provided for my noble LordWe are aware of the deterioration of unit 2 due to leaking showers as highlighted in the report. Bids for funding have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice’s Projects Team to address the issues. Inthe meantime, the Prison Governor continues to meet monthly with Gov Facility Services Limited and the Service Delivery Manager to assess conditions across the prison and ensure those areasneeding remedial works are addressed promptly.

Domestic Abuse: Sentencing

baroness brady: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that victims of domestic violence, following the sentencing of an offender, receive (1) the precise sentence outcome, (2) accurate and relevant information about the possible impact of a sentence, and (3) the date of an offenders bail and prison release, to ensure that safeguarding mechanisms can be put in place; and what plans they have to enable victims of such violence to appeal sentencing decisions.

lord keen of elie: Under the Code of Practice for Victim’s of Crime, all victims have the right to be notified of the offender’s sentence and receive a short explanation about the meaning and effect of the sentence. We committed in the Victims Strategy published last year to review the process for informing victims of offenders’ sentences and what they mean and we are currently consulting on proposals for revising the code, which will be followed by a consultation on a draft revised code. The statutory National Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme is available to victims of violent and sexual offences, where the offender receives a sentence of 12 months or more. The Scheme provides victims with information and advice about the criminal justice process – including explaining the sentence to them and ensuring that they are informed of the offender’s release. In such cases, victims also have the statutory right to request conditions that can be attached to the offender's release licence. These can include a no contact condition, and an exclusion zone covering areas where the victim lives, works, or travels too frequently. The offender risks being recalled to prison should they breach any of their licence conditions. Offenders who have committed an eligible sexual or violent offence and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment will be managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Under MAPPA, the Prison, Probation and Police Services are required to work together to assess and manage the risks presented by such offenders. Thus, the MAPPA plan for managing the risk to such offenders must include measures to protect previous victims from further harm. Additionally, Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) develop strategies to help and protect domestic abuse victims at high risk of murder or serious harm. Agencies including the Police, providers of probation services, health and child protection, as well as Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, share information and develop actions to protect the victim. In respect of appealing sentencing decisions, the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme enables anyone, including victims, the ability to ask the Attorney General to consider referring sentences for certain offences which he believes to be unduly lenient, to the Court of Appeal. The offences covered by the scheme are indictable only offences that are heard in the Crown Court, and certain triable either way offences when heard in the Crown Court. The scheme has a statutory 28-day time limit for referrals to be made. The scheme ensures there is a route for victims, their families, and the public, to question sentences imposed by the court for certain cases. If a case is referred, it will be a matter for the Court of Appeal to determine whether the sentence should remain as it is, be increased, or whether guidance should be issued for future cases.

Mental Capacity

baroness browning: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to amend the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice to comply with the judgment in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v. MM case so that there is no longer a presumption that welfare deputyship by relatives should be restricted to people with learning disabilities and autism.

lord keen of elie: The statutory Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of Practice provides practical guidance on the operation of the MCA, including on when the Court of Protection may appoint a deputy to make decisions on behalf of and in the best interests of someone who lacks capacity to make those decisions. The Code is currently under review, to establish the extent to which it should be revised to reflect changes in case law and lessons learned through practical use of the code since its publication in 2007. We sought input from a range of interested stakeholders through a call for evidence in spring 2019 and propose to consult on a revised Code in due course.

Solicitors: Assessments

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination in inculcating and testing legal writing skills.

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the effectiveness of exclusively multiple choice testing in the Solicitors' Qualifying Examination as a way of maintaining standards of legal service to consumers.

lord keen of elie: As the legal profession in England and Wales, and the bodies that regulate it, are independent from government, we have not made any assessment of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. As set out in the Legal Services Act 2007, it will be a matter for the Legal Services Board to determine whether to approve proposals for changes to the qualification arrangements for solicitors brought forward by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.

Tommy Robinson

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 30 July (HL17224), which Department was responsible for reaching the decision that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon should be imprisoned in HMP Belmarsh; whether a Minister was involved in that decision; and if so, which.

lord keen of elie: The Judiciary oversee the Courts and Tribunal Services (CTS) in England and Wales and it is their responsibility to hand down sentencing following a successful conviction. Mr Yaxley-Lennon appeared before the Central Criminal Court (CCC) on 12 July 2019, where he was sentenced to 19 week imprisonment for committing contempt of court. It is the responsibility of HMP Belmarsh to serve the CCC in its function as a Core Local Prison and therefore in line with Court Committal Directions Mr Yaxley-Lennon was allocated to HMP Belmarsh.

Pre-sentence Reports: Females

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women sentenced in (1) the magistrates courts, and (2) the Crown Courts, in England and Wales did not have a pre-sentence report prepared for them in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Prisons

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the courts in England and Wales used prison as a place of safety in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Prisoners: Females

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women currently in prison are aged (1) under 21, (2) 21–30, (3) 31–35, (4) 36–40, (5) 41–50, (6) 51–60, and (7) over 60, years old.

lord keen of elie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member

Department for International Trade

Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a joint-letter from a group of worldwide business federations coordinated by the United States Chamber of Commerce warning against the impact that a no-deal Brexit could have on global trade as reported by The Times on 4 September.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many export licences they have granted which approved the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to(1)revoke all existing, and (2) ban future, export licences for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Social Security Benefits

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what analysis they have undertaken of adverts placed by lettings agents that preventDepartment for Work and Pensionsbenefit claimants from obtaining private lettings.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Private Rented Housing: Social Security Benefits

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to publish guidance for lettings agents to discourage the practice of preventing claimants of Department for Work and Pensions benefits from applying for private lettings.

viscount younger of leckie: Since a ministerial roundtable at No. 10 Downing Street in June, the Government has continued to work with landlords’, letting agencies’, lenders’, insurance providers’, and tenants’ representatives to explore the scope for joint communications to discourage the practice of preventing benefit claimants from applying for private rental sector lettings. The Government is clear that landlords and agents should look at all potential and existing tenants claiming housing benefit on an individual basis, regardless of whether or not they are in receipt of benefits. The How to Let and How to Rent guides help landlords, agents and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities. I’m pleased to say that following the meeting in June, both Metro Bank and The Mortgage Lender have announced that they were lifting their ‘No DSS’ restrictions. These changes build on commitments from NatWest and Nationwide and evidence now suggests that nearly all new buy-to-let mortgages have no restrictions on letting tenants in receipt of benefits.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult on the Shared Prosperity Fund; and when they intend to respond to any such consultation.

viscount younger of leckie: The Prime Minister announced on 27 July we will bring forward plans on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Government will consult on the design of the fund and we welcome input from across the UK.

Private Rented Housing: Older People

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manytenants over the age of 60 currently live in private rental accommodation; whether this proportion of older people in private rental accommodation is increasing, and if so, how rapidly; and what plans they have, if any, to take action to increase security for older tenants, including repealing section 21 of the Housing Act to prevent landlords from being able to evict tenants at short notice without giving a reason.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Social Services: Finance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tochange the distribution ofadult social care funding.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 November 2018 (HL10924), how the strength of the UK Armed Forces has changed since that answer; and what action they plan to take to meet theStrategic Defence and Security Review 2020 targets.

baroness goldie: Since Earl Howe’s Written Answer on 1 November 2018, the Trained Strength of the Armed Forces has dropped from 139,788 on 1 July 2018 to 137,409 on 1 July 2019. It remains a priority for each Service to meet the target for Armed Forces personnel strength in 2020, and there are a range of measures both already in progress and in the pipeline to improve the position. These include the introduction of the Armed Forces People Programme to modernise aspects of the employment offer, including scope for flexible working and the Future Accommodation Model. The strength of the Armed Forces is published every three months and can be found in Table 3a of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019

Armed Forces: Pensions

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the ranks of the members of the Armed Forces Pension schemes who breached their annual tax-free pension savings limit in the 2017/2018 financial year.

baroness goldie: The ranks of the members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes who breached their annual tax-free pension savings limit in financial year 2017-18 are:  ROYAL NAVYARMYROYAL AIR FORCEAdmiralGeneralAir Chief MarshalVice AdmiralLieutenant GeneralAir MarshalRear AdmiralMajor GeneralAir Vice MarshalCommodoreBrigadierAir CommodoreCaptainColonelGroup CaptainCommanderLieutenant ColonelWing CommanderLieutenant CommanderMajorSquadron LeaderLieutenantCaptainFlight LieutenantChief Petty OfficerLieutenantFlying Officer 2nd LieutenantWarrant Officer Warrant Officer 1Flight Sergeant Warrant Officer 2Master Aircrew Staff SergeantChief Technician Colour Sergeant  Sergeant  Corporal

AWACS: Procurement

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenNo. 8 Squadron Royal Air Force will take delivery of the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.

baroness goldie: Under current plans, the first of the RAF's five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is expected to be delivered to 8 Squadron in 2023.

Future Reserves 2020 External Scrutiny Team

lord de mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the report of the External Scrutiny Team on the Reserve Forces, provided to the Ministry of Defence on 1 June, will be placed in the Library of the House.

baroness goldie: The report, which was received on 1 July 2019, was placed in the Library of the House on 3 September 2019. The Ministry of Defence will respond to the report in due course.

Defence Medical Services: Pensions

baroness kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend to the Defence Medical Services the same changes to pension tax rules that they are offering to senior consultants within the National Health Service.

baroness goldie: The Department for Health and Social Care are intending to publish a second consultation concerning an amendment to the NHS pension scheme for senior clinicians shortly. Once published the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will consider these proposals and their effect on MOD and Service personnel, including those in the Defence Medical Services.

USA: Boeing

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) civil servants, and (2) armed forces personnel, attended the first flight of the RAF P-8A in Seattle; and what was the total cost of their attendance.

baroness goldie: Three Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants and three members of the RAF attended the first flight of the P-8A aircraft in Seattle in July 2019. The MOD does not hold information on the specific cost of attendance at this event as the individuals all attended other official meetings while in the United States.

USA: Boeing

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manypublic sector employees have visited Boeing in Seattle in an official capacity this year; and what was the total cost of any such visits.

baroness goldie: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HMS Montrose: Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe public statement by Commander Will King on 2 September that HMS Montrose has been subjected to 115 separate confrontations with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards;what assessment they have made ofthe nature and range of those confrontations; andwhat steps they are taking in response.

baroness goldie: Assessments have been conducted by in-theatre and UK based personnel, which concluded that the vast majority of the interactions in recent months between HMS MONTROSE and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were safe and professional. Where there were active attempts to interfere with passage of British vessels, HMS MONTROSE responded within extant military direction.The UK has deployed additional warships to the Gulf to ensure a consistent presence to reassure the merchant vessel community, and deter any malign behaviour. The UK has also joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), under which we will work with partner nations to ensure the free flow of commerce through the region.

HMS Bristol

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 2 August (HL17439), who now owns HMS Bristol.

baroness goldie: HMS BRISTOL left active service in 1991 but remains a commissioned ship in the Royal Navy. She currently provides an alongside training and accommodation facility at the shore training establishment HMS EXCELLENT. Having been converted to provide this facility, she could not be returned to active service.

Warships: Procurement

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) destroyers, and (2) frigates, are presently on order for the Royal Navy.

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) destroyers, and (2) frigates, are presently in service with the Royal Navy.

baroness goldie: There are currently six Type 45 Destroyers and 13 Type 23 Frigates in service with the Royal Navy.There are no destroyers on order. Three Type 26 Frigates are currently on order. We plan to award a contract for five Type 31 Frigates by the end of 2019, and a contract for the second batch of five Type 26 Frigates in the early 2020s.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, followingthereport by the Social Metrics CommissionMeasuring Poverty 2019, published in July,and the appointment of the new Prime Minister on 24 July, what plans they have to revise their strategy for tackling poverty.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Pension Credit

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 22 July (HL16979),whetherthey will provide details of the funding for charities that work with older people to support the take-up of Pension Credit in each of the three years specified in the original question.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Sanitation

baroness greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a statutory requirement for public buildings and offices to provide appropriate disposal bins for the disposal of stoma and other continence products and personal care products in (1)female, and (2) male toilets.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Housing Benefit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the casefor increasing the (1) scope, and (2) total amount, of housing benefit, including any resulting savings on temporary accommodation and other costs.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Carers

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manycarers registered with the Department of Work and Pensions are (1) over 18 years, (2) 13–18 years, and (3) under 13 years old, in each (a) London borough, and (b) English local authority area.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Poverty

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the objectives listed in the departmental plan for the Department for Work and Pensionsmakes no reference to (1) reducing poverty, and (2) the Sustainable Development Goal on poverty.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Food Banks: Schools

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that there has been an increase in the number of food banks set up in UK schools.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Tigers: Hunting

lord selkirk of douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban the importation of tiger trophies to the UK.

lord selkirk of douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the importation of big-game trophies to the UK; and if they have any such plans, when they intend to publish their proposals to implement such a ban.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously, with imports of hunting trophies into the UK subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. The UK has adopted stricter national measures for three species, including tigers, than those set out in CITES and in European legislation. The import and export of live wild taken specimens and tiger parts and derivatives, including hunting trophies, is banned. The UK is also continuing to work hard on the international stage to agree tough, transparent, global standards on trophy hunting to make sure hunting safeguards are of the highest standard and there is no impact on the sustainability of the species concerned. We will continue to discuss this with other countries. The Government hosted a stakeholder roundtable in May to hear views from all sides of the debate surrounding trophy hunting. Those discussions continue and we are actively reviewing our position on this important issue.

Origin Marking

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether current (1) protected designation of origin, (2) protected geographical indication, and (3) traditional specialities guaranteed, schemes for products will be enforceable after the UK leaves the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Rivers: Pollution Control

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of England's rivers meet the EU's minimum ecological standards; and what proportion are judged sufficiently pollution-free to be safe for swimmers.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Bridleways and Public Footpaths: Motor Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking any action to prevent damage to footpaths and bridleways by off road vehicles and trail bikes; and if so, what this action entails.

lord gardiner of kimble: Some public rights of way allow for the legal use of motor vehicles. Footpaths and bridleways however do not. Any person riding an off-road motorised vehicle such as a trail bike on a public footpath or bridleway is committing a criminal offence and such issues are for the police to deal with.Byways open to all traffic do carry vehicular rights and are managed by local highway authorities. Local authorities have the power to make traffic regulation orders to close routes to motorised vehicles if any problems occur, provided they fully consider and respond to any representations they receive about a proposed order.In response to last year’s report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, Defra is currently working with Natural England and stakeholders to assess current use of traffic regulation orders and refresh the guidance for local authorities.

Environment Protection

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to remain closely aligned with the EU regulatory framework on (1) environmental protection, and (2) food safety standards.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Animal Welfare

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation that recognises animals as sentient beings after Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK is a world leader in animal welfare. The Government is committed to making any necessary changes required to domestic law in a rigorous and comprehensive way to ensure animal sentience is recognised after the UK leaves the EU. Defra is continuing to engage closely with stakeholders and other Government departments to further refine its policy on animal sentience. We will continue to consider carefully what other tools, processes, and mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure the animal sentience requirements are delivered by the Government effectively in practice.

Food and Water: Rationing

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for rationing to prevent potential food and water shortages post Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Food Banks

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with food retailers about providing food and other products that would otherwise have to go to landfill sites to food banks; and what plans they have to encourage (1) food retailers to participate in, and (2) the further development of, such provision.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the tobacco industry to tackling litter from smoking.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial contribution, if any, the tobacco industry has made to delivering the Litter Strategy for England.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what involvement the tobacco industry has had in theLitter Strategy for England.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Cabinet Office

Brexit

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the date of completion of the Cabinet Office Review, code-named Operation Yellowhammer, that was published in theSunday Times on 18 August.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Brexit

lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether private email accounts, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or other encrypted services or email accounts have been used by special advisers, ministers or senior civil servants to discuss Government policyon prorogation, dissolution or a no-deal Brexit.

the earl of courtown: Government information must be handled in accordance with the requirements of the law, including the Official Secrets Act, Freedom Of Information Act, Data Protection Act and Public Records Act.

Dominic Cummings

lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary have agreed to any exemptions for Dominic Cummings, Special Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, from the Cabinet Office Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

the earl of courtown: The provisions of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers apply to all special advisers.

Prorogation

lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister or Cabinet Secretary first discussedprorogation with Sir Edward Young, the Private Secretary to Her Majesty the Queen.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Office of the Parliamentary Counsel: Public Records

lord hennessy of nympsfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for transferring to the National Archives the post-1945 files from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in the "AM" series.

the earl of courtown: These records have been selected for permanent preservation but have been retained because they include reference material used in the formation of current legislation. The Knowledge and Information Management Unit will be carrying out a sensitivity review of these records and expects, before 2024, to begin transferring records that are no longer needed for this purpose.

Office for Tackling Injustices

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the formal remit of the new Office for Tackling Injustices; and what are its immediate priorities.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Treasury

Non-domestic Rates

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effectiveness, and (2) the fairness of the current system of business rates; and what plans they have to change the current system.

the earl of courtown: Business rates currently raise £25 billion per year in England, and are an important source of funding for key local services such as adult social care and children’s services. The Government concluded a fundamental review of business rates in 2016, and respondents agreed that property based taxes were easy to collect, difficult to avoid, relatively stable and clearly linked with local authority spending. In line with stakeholder responses, the Government therefore decided to keep business rates as a property tax.

Non-domestic Rates: Retail Trade

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the 25 per cent contribution that the retail sector currently makes to business rates receipts.

the earl of courtown: The Government has taken repeated action to reduce the burden of business rates for all ratepayers including retailers. The Government’s Plan for the High Street announced at Budget 2018 provides £1 billion of upfront support through a new retail discount, cutting retailers’ business rates bills by a third for two years from 1 April 2019 subject to eligibility. Reforms and reliefs announced since Budget 2016 are reducing business rates by more than £13 billion over the next five years. This includes switching from RPI to CPI indexation, increasing the threshold for the standard multiplier to £51,000 and doubling the threshold for Small Business Rate Relief, meaning 675,000 of the smallest businesses pay no business rates at all.

Public Sector: Intellectual Property

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the detailed implementation strategy that has been prepared, as a result of the Knowledge Assets Implementation Study, for ministers in (1) Her Majesty's Treasury, (2) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and (3) the Cabinet Office.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department will host the centre of expertise providing advice and support on technical, legal, commercial and financial aspects of generating and exploiting knowledge assets, as proposed in the terms of reference of the Knowledge Assets Implementation Study; and how this centre will work with the proposed National Centre of Expertise to provide specialist advice and guidance to the NHS on agreements for the use of health data.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in seeking to develop new standards and approaches for measuring and reporting the value of knowledge assets in the public sector, they have taken account of the recent work of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Working Parties on National Accounts and on International Trade in Goods and Services Statistics.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department will be responsible for the proposal to establish a central repository detailing Government knowledge asset holdings and their value, as set out in the terms of reference of the Knowledge Assets Implementation Study.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department will be responsible for the proposal to register intellectual property assets with the most commercial potential, as set out in the terms of reference of the Knowledge Assets Implementation Study; and what role they expect the National Audit Office to perform in ensuring best value of the use of such assets, for both individual data subjects and UK taxpayers.

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have made to publish an annual report on their knowledge asset holdings and progress in exploitation of them, as set out in the terms of reference of the Knowledge Assets Implementation Study; and when they expect to publish the first such report.

the earl of courtown: The Knowledge Assets team, based in HM Treasury but supported by a range of departments, is working with strategic partners to develop an implementation strategy which is aligned with related policy and institutions across the public sector. This includes colleagues in the Office for Life Sciences, which has announced plans to establish a National Centre of Expertise within NHSX that will provide specialist commercial and legal advice to NHS organisations entering data agreements. The implementation strategy remains in development and it is the intention to publish it later this year. It will respond to each of the ten recommendations made in the 2018 Budget report ‘Getting smart about intellectual property and other intangibles in the public sector’, including questions of future departmental responsibilities and reporting.

Business

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Bank of England The Brexit vote, productivity growth and macroeconomic adjustments in the United Kingdom, published on 27 August, which statesthat Brexit has so far caused UK productivity to fall by between two and five per cent, and business investment to fall by 11 per cent; and what steps they are taking to address declining productivity and business investment.

the earl of courtown: Productivity growth since the referendum has been 1.3%. The Bank of England analysis suggests slow productivity growth in the UK since the Brexit vote is due to a fall in investment, with a relatively insensitive response in employment.We are tackling the UK’s productivity challenge head on to sustainably boost living standards in the long term for everyone. We have invested over half a trillion pounds in capital investment, cut taxes for businesses, improved access to finance, increased the National Productivity Investment Fund to £37bn, committed to reform technical education through T-levels and will be publishing our National Infrastructure Strategy this Autumn which sets out a plan for a step change in infrastructure investment.

Business

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyexpect business investment to grow by 2.2 per cent in 2020 as forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook, publishedin March; and what forecast they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on UK productivity and business investment growth in each of the next five years.

the earl of courtown: HM Treasury does not produce economic forecasts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts for the UK economy and public finances, which include forecasts for productivity and business investment. In line with its remit, the OBR’s forecasts include the economic and fiscal impact of government policy on EU exit where the effects can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The OBR has said that it will adjust its Brexit assumptions when more detail is available on the future trade and migration relationship between the UK and EU.

Business: Investment

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) model for forecasting business investment, in the light of business investment growth consistently falling below OBR forecasts and remaining “significantly weaker than expected” according toitsEconomic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March.

the earl of courtown: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publishes an annual Forecast Evaluation Report, in which they compare their forecasts to subsequent published data, explain any forecast errors, and identify lessons for future forecasts.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are used by HMRC to decide whether calls to their helpline are recorded as answered for the purposes of published statistics; and whether an automated response constitutes an answered call.

the earl of courtown: HMRC measure telephony performance by Average Speed of Answer (ASA) and the percentage of customers needing to wait more than ten minutes to speak to an adviser (Outliers). The ASA and Outliers performance data are published monthly, quarterly and annually. An automated response does not constitute a call answered by an advisor; routing and messaging systems are to advise and guide a customer to the right advisor for their query. As part of the publication of HMRC’s Annual Report & Accounts 2017-2018 (on Gov.uk), HMRC published technical documents to provide further understanding of how their telephony performance is managed and monitored.

Financial Services

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase minimum capital requirements for fund managers managing Undertakings for the Collective Investment in Transferable Securities funds and other open-ended funds.

the earl of courtown: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The FCA Handbook outlines the rules on the capital requirements for UCITS management firms, which are derived from the EU UCITS Directive. These requirements can be found in Chapter 11 of the Interim Prudential Sourcebook for Investment Business. If there was to be any policy decision by the FCA to change these rules in the future, that would be subject to the FCA’s relevant governance process, including a public consultation.

Investment Returns

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of low and negative bond yields on the funding and capital assumptions of (1) pension funds, and (2) insurance companies; and the ability of the banking system to support economic growth.

the earl of courtown: HM Treasury does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), who are operationally independent from Government, and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The question has been passed on to the PRA and the DWP. The PRA and the DWP will reply directly to the Noble Lord by letter. Copies of the letters will be placed in the Library of the House.

Loans

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ask the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate the risks in the guarantor loan market and the protections available to guarantors.

the earl of courtown: The government has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers and to act against firms and individuals that do not meet its standards. In relation to guarantor lending the FCA has identified relending, insufficient affordability checks, and the increasing number of payments made by guarantors as the areas of potential harm to consumers. They are conducting supervisory work to assess these areas which will conclude in January 2021. Treasury ministers and officials meet regularly with the FCA, and the government will continue to work closely with the FCA to ensure all customers are treated fairly.

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with respect to the National Statistics data published in April,which estimated the total cost of pension tax relief in respect of registered pension schemes for the year ending 5 April 2018 at £36.3 billion including £4.3 billion in tax relief on employee contributions to occupational pension schemes, (1) what is the estimated figure of gross pension contributions on which this figure was based, and (2) what specific assumptions were made as to the rates of tax applicable in arriving at the figure of£4.3 billion; and whether these assumptions included that all employees making contributions to occupational schemes receive the full tax relief to which they are entitled, including those contributing to net pay pension schemes.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of tax relief forgone in net pay pension schemes by workers earning below the personal tax threshold while contributing to workplace pensions in the past three tax years.

the earl of courtown: Members of net pay pension schemes receive tax relief on their pension contributions at their marginal rate as these contributions are deducted before tax is calculated. Those individuals with income below the personal tax threshold do not pay tax. Members of relief at source pension schemes, however, receive a 20% basic rate top up on their pension contribution, even though they do not pay tax. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury provided the Work and Pensions committee an estimate of the cost of providing the same type of top-up as exist for those in relief at source scheme to those in net pay schemes. This estimate was around £100m per tax year.

Sleeping Rough

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make an assessment of thelevel of investmentin programmes to tackle rough sleepingthat would result by imposing either (1) a one per cent stamp duty surcharge on non-resident property purchases, or (2) a three per cent stamp duty surcharge on non-resident property purchases; if so, when; and if not, why not.

the earl of courtown: The Government announced at Budget 2018 a new Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge of one per cent on non-residents buying residential property in England and Northern Ireland. This will help control house price growth and so help ensure those resident in the UK can get on the housing ladder. A costing for how much the surcharge will raise will be produced at a future fiscal event once the final design of the surcharge has been confirmed. This costing will follow the usual process for analysing the revenue impacts of new tax measures, including being subject to scrutiny from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The Government remains committed to ending rough sleeping. The Chancellor announced £54m of new funding to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping in last week’s Spending Round. This takes total resource funding to £422m next year – a real terms increase of 13%.

Public Sector: Intellectual Property

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their report Getting smart about intellectual property and other intangibles in the public sector,published in October 2018,which department will be responsible for the proposal to "design and implement best practice protocols for development, protection and commercialisation of public sector knowledge assets".

the earl of courtown: The Knowledge Assets team, based in HM Treasury but supported by a range of departments, is working with strategic partners to develop an implementation strategy which is aligned with related policy and institutions across the public sector. The implementation strategy remains in development and it is the intention to publish it later this year. It will respond to each of the ten recommendations made in the 2018 Budget report ‘Getting smart about intellectual property and other intangibles in the public sector’, including questions of future departmental responsibilities and reporting.

Attorney General

Prostitution: Prosecutions

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elieon 30 July (HL17215), whether it is their policy to prosecute brothel owners and managers when women are removed to detention centres from their premises, in view of the probability of offences of trafficking or slavery.

lord keen of elie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.